Next Monday the Library will begin voting for its annual Battle of the Books Event! For those unaware, Battle of the Books is similar to March Madness where 32 books in 4 different categories go head-to-head, with each being voted on and progressively eliminated throughout the next two weeks until we are left with one winning title. Yet this year is unlike previous editions; this year’s theme focuses specifically on the authors of these great books.
So, let’s get right into each of these categories, starting with the children’s books. This category consists mainly of books that can be found in our juvenile section on the lower level, outside of the VIP Center. The authors in this category are (in no particular order other than alphabetically) as follows: Jan Brett, Margaret Wise Brown, Eric Carle, Ezra Jack Keats, Laura Numeroff, Beatrix Potter, Maurice Sendak, and Shel Silverstein. In all honesty, I didn’t read many children’s books as a kid, though Dr. Suess was always on a nearby shelf. The only author that I believe I have read on this list was Shel Silverstein with books like, “The Giving Tree” and “The Missing Piece.”
Chugging along, we get to the next category, Middle-Grade Books! This category has many more recognizable names to me personally, as I really started getting into reading in my early schooling years. In this section, we have authors such as: Judy Blume, Chris Colfer, Jeff Kinney, C. S. Lewis, Lois Lowry, Gary Paulsen, Jason Reynolds, and Rick Riordan. I have read at least one book from a majority of these authors from Lois Lowry’s famous “The Giver” and Jason Reynolds’s “As Brave As You” to one of my personal favorite novels, and possible reason for my obsession with the outdoors, Gary Paulsen’s “Hatchet.”
Now, moving out of the juvenile section of the library, we get to our next category Young Adult, or YA Books. A couple of these books can be found on the ground level in the leisure section, with some more being found upstairs in the juvenile section. The authors in this category are listed as: Leigh Bardugo, Suzanne Collins, John Green, Jenny Han, S. E. Hinton, Holly Jackson, Angie Thomas, and Nicola Yoon. This list too has many familiar names like Suzanne Collins with her famous “Hunger Games” Series and John Green with his extensive library of YA literature like “Looking for Alaska,” “Paper Towns,” and “Turtles all the Way Down.”
And now, we reach the last category, Adult Books and literature. A majority of the authors in this category can be found in the leisure section, with a couple more being found upstairs in the Main Collection. The final group of authors to face the chopping block are as follows: Kristin Hannah, James McBride, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Sally Rooney, George Saunders, Donna Tartt, Jesmyn Ward, and Colson Whitehead. I haven’t read too many of these authors, but I have read Sally Rooney’s “Normal People” which I quite enjoyed, and Kristin Hannah’s “The Women” which I did not enjoy as much, though I have heard many more positive things about her other work.
As I mentioned previously, the event will begin next Monday, March 17, but to participate, you must follow the link to the Battle of the Books: Authors Edition webpage and submit your bracket by this Sunday! Throughout the next two weeks, there will be five rounds in which winners and losers will be decided, to keep up with the rounds, check the schedule on the same webpage, or simply keep up with the Library Instagram by following @susqulib. The competition officially ends on Friday, March 28 and the winner will receive a $25 gift card to Wagging Tail Coffee Company, so there’s no reason not to participate! Make sure to fill out the form sooner rather than later, it only takes a couple of minutes! Best of luck to all participants!
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